I’m not one to brag, especially when it comes to cooking, because I’m just good at following recipes, but I was told more than once on Thanksgiving that my turkey was the best my guests had ever had. So needless to say I’m more than a little proud of myself.

Here’s a glimpse at what this beauty looked like prior to being cut up and dismembered so that we could enjoy our Thanksgiving Feast (sorry, just finished watching this week’s episode of Dexter).

I can’t really take all the credit for this amazing turkey though. Last year my friend Kandice got me a subscription to Food & Wine, and when I saw the picture of the turkey on the cover it made me want to cook the Thanksgiving turkey since we normally have a smoked one that I’ve never been a fan of.

The recipe this year is the same recipe I used last year. Fortunately I didn’t have to cook a 22 lb turkey again this year that was ridiculous. A 16 lb turkey is so much easier to handle. Though I’m not quite sure why Food & Wine expects anyone to have a container large enough to hold a 16 lb turkey and 8 quarts of water. I can’t even imagine how big that would be or how I would fit it in my fridge.

Luckily, not only was the turkey a success but we were also able to squeeze 14 people into my little house and everyone had a blast. Especially because this year we had some live entertainment…Wesley!

The day was rounded out well with a nail biter of a game between A&M and Texas with A&M being the winner and wrapping up the best regular season in about 12 years. WHOOP!

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving and if you’re looking for a turkey recipe for next year be sure and look at this one.

Wow, wine o. wednesday #50, that’s a lot of wine!

A few weeks back my friend Monica recommended I give the Mollydooker Shiraz a try. I thought I was going to have a hard time locating it but rather ended up having an excuse to go to Pogo’s this specialty wine store I’d wanted to check out.

Sadly, they were out of the Shiraz and all they had was the Violinist, a white, which was perfect for this heat wave we seem to be experiencing here in Dallas. 85 degrees the day before Thanksgiving is not ideal!

The first glass I had was poured straight into the glass, and I must admit it was tarter than I normally like, but at the same time it was smooth. My second glass was poured through an aerator and I was in love in! It really opened up and that tartness was minimized. I can’t wait to have this wine again, though I hope it isn’t for a few more months, because I’m ready for some cold weather.

Tonight after work, I stopped at my typical wine store with Beth to look around and what would you know…they carried the Shiraz, called The Boxer and a blend called Two Left Feet. I of course picked up both, why not? I cannot wait to try them both.

Also, I had to make a run to Central Market to get herbs for my turkey and decided to check out their wine selection. They had all of the above mentioned varietals, plus a Cabernet and a Merlot. I would have looked around a little more to see if they had but the guy working the wine section was trying to talk me into a Layer Cake Shiraz that was on sale…really man? Been there, done that!

Hope you have a Happy Turkey day and drink something great, oh I mean have fun with your family!

Cheers!

I don’t know when I was first introduced to Bingo and I’ve never had any luck at it, but for some reason I’ve always loved it.

In college I was in an organization that required a certain number of volunteer or service hours and my favorite thing to sign up for was Bingo at the retirement community in Bryan. Through this interaction my love of Bingo was renewed. We even found a place in Bryan to go and play Bingo; pretty sure I had more than one color dabber in my car.

While in college my grandmom had to move into a nursing home and they had a wide range of activities, one of which was Bingo. But try as I might my grandmom would not budge, Bingo was NOT her thing. She preferred Bridge, which I have no clue how to play.

I had all but forgotten about Bingo until about 2 weeks ago when my friends Paige and Jacob told us they had found this great Bingo Hall in Plano.

Paige quickly won $500, which of course enticed all of us. Since then my friend Stefanie has won a cash prize twice and a voucher for games.

It is great fun and cheap, but it is hard to not get bitter when the people all around you are wining money and prizes and you have yet to win anything. Nevertheless, I am not ready to throw in my hat for Bingo.

We play at East Plano Bingo and they have 2 sessions of games every night of the week, if you like Bingo, you should definitely check it out. The location maybe be off the beaten path but you can enjoy hours of entertainment and even eat dinner all for under $20.

If I’d been a more consistent blogger last year, I probably would have written this post then. However in a way I’m glad I didn’t.

Bonfire wasn’t one of the traditions that drew me to Texas A&M as I decided what college I wanted to attend, because I’d never seen it in person prior to my freshman year and just didn’t understand it. Which means, despite being a freshman in the dorms the push to get involved in Bonfire never pressured me into going out to cut.
Then I attended my very first Bonfire, and to say I was amazed is truly an understatement. The site of it burning and the heat radiating off it even at the distance we were at was unbelievable. By far my favorite Yell Practices while at Texas A&M were the ones held at Bonfire.

Junior year, my friend Ashley & I decided to take our small group out to Bonfire to roast hot dogs and marshmallows at one of the perimeter fires and watch the progress up close on the night of November 17, 1999. That year there was actually a burn ban and we didn’t realize it until we got out there, so all perimeter fires had been put out. We took a few group pictures and few pictures of stack and headed out, with no idea of what would unfold the next morning. (will try to dig out pictures this weekend and scan them in)

On the morning of November 18, 1999, I was awakened, like many of fellow Aggies, by a phone call from home asking me if I was okay. It was before 7 in the morning and I had no idea why I was being asked that. . . and then my mom told me that Bonfire had fallen. I was in shock.

It was a devastation I’m not sure I could ever fully put into words. I had never worked on Bonfire and didn’t feel entitled to the emotions I was experiencing. But with that said, Aggies are family, and if any Aggie is lost we all grieve for them. It is this very sense of family that made me fall in love with Texas A&M. Walking around campus that week was eerie; we didn’t know how to cope with the loss we’d just suffered.

As selfish and horrible as this may sound, I was relieved Thanksgiving was not far away and I had a reason to escape heartache and feel like I could breathe again.

This year on the 11th anniversary of Bonfire falling, it seems to hold even more significance to me. I think that has to do with my friend Bill (he’s the boy in the picture).

These two people are very near and dear to my heart and I am thankful today (well and every day) to be able to call them my good friends, and to see how happy they make each other… had things been different that night Amber would have never met Bill, which also means that while Amber and I would have still been friends, she might not have ended up in Dallas and who knows if we would be the good friends that we are today.

However, to the 12 who died, I did not know you, but you will forever be in my heart… and you will never be forgotten.

(feel free to post your memory in the comment section, I’d love to hear yours)

Last night at the suggestion of Beau, Beth & I tried the 2008 Torbreck Woodcutter’s Shiraz.

Years ago when I made the switch from white wine to red wine a co-worker of mine suggested I try a Shiraz. I fell in love instantly. Looking back now I find it odd that she would suggest such a full bodied wine, but I guess it worked. I don’t drink Shiraz that often, in my quest to try new wines I some how veered away from them; and even quite possibly forgot about them.

I’m glad Beth listened to Beau’s suggestion and we gave this a try. It is the Barossa Valley in Australia and is a relatively new winnery, founded in 1994. There is a great write up on their website about their history if you are interested.

This Shiraz is a perfect wine selection for a cold night. It is dense and heavy and rich with flavor. We didn’t let it decant for very long (about 30 minutes) because we were anxious to give it a try. So I didn’t really notice a difference from my first taste, when the bottle was opened, to when we poured ourselves a glass. I will definitely have to get this wine again and let it breath a little longer to see the effects that has on the flavor.

I am fortunate to work really close to a store with a GREAT wine selection (if you are in Dallas check out Goody-Goody) and can find treasures like this. I hope that you’ll be able to find it near you and give it a try. Be sure to let me know what you think.

Cheers!

It had been over 4 years since I went back to College Station for any length of time. This year I was determined to make it down for Brew-B-Q. As soon as I found out which weekend it would be I reserved a room at the Elliott Inn.